Dreams of the Past
by x-Midnight Sun-x
Summary: Ginny becomes victim to a permanent aging potion. Stuck in her 7th year, she has choices to make. She might never be able to change back, but when she meets the guy of her dreams, will she even want to?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

"Ginny! GINNY!"

"Oh, bloody hell." Even from a distance there was no mistaking the twins' voices. "Quick, Hermione, hide me!" Ginny leapt from her seat on the bed in a panic and made a beeline for the closet.

"Oh _honestly_, Ginny. They're just a couple of harmless boys. What's the worst they can do?" Hermione flipped carelessly through her potions book, scribbling down random rotes for reference.

"Harmless!" Ginny scoffed, poking her head out the closet door, "How about toothpaste that makes all your teeth fall out, lotion that causes spontaneous combustion, and **toilet paper** that..."

"Okay, okay! I think I get the idea!" Hermione interrupted with a shudder. Ginny slammed the door shut. "What _have _Fred and George been up to lately?!" Hermione said, shaking her head in sympathy.

"Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, of course, my dear girl," Fred called from the door.

"And we just wanted our darling baby sister to test out this new product of ours!" George continued, holding up a clear vial containing a bubbly, violet substance.

"Aaahhh!" Ginny burst from the closet and clamored down the steps in the Burrow. "Mum!" she screamed in genuine terror.

"Come now, Ginny! No need to get Mum wrapped up in all this!" George said from only steps behind her.

Ginny spun around and stopped so suddenly that both Fred and George collided into her.

"Oi, Ginny! Why'd you..." Fred cut off mid-sentence when he caught the look on her face.

Ginny was glaring so hard that the twins could have sworn she could have made He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named run for cover. "If you EVER come near me with that again, you will seriously regret it!" The twins were frozen from her forcefulness. It wasn't until she tore her wand from her jeans pocket did they scatter. "Yeah, that's right," she muttered walking back up to Hermione in her room.

Hermione looked up from her books in concern. "They didn't catch you, did they?"

Ginny smirked, remembering the encounter. "I don't think they'll be bothering me for awhile."

"Good for you, Ginny!" Hermione turned the page in her book. "Now, do you remember all the uses of the unicorn horn in the forgetfulness potion?"

Ginny sat back on the bed and sighed. There was just one more day until school started and she couldn't seem to remember any of the homework she'd done at the beginning of the summer.

A timid knock came at the door. Fred and George shrank back when Ginny looked their way. "Mum says supper's ready," Fred said, then he disappeared around the corner followed quickly by George.

Ginny and Hermione looked at each other and burst out laughing. They were still giggling as they entered the kitchen.

Mrs. Weasley caught their eyes over the pot she was stirring. "Carry those plates out to the table would you, dears? We'll be eating outside tonight."

"Of course, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione replied, picking up as many heaping plates of food as she could carry. She motioned for Ginny to do the same and quickly strode out the door, juggling the burning plates.

Ginny stepped closer and flashed a silly grin at her mother.

Suddenly Hermione screamed. _CRASH!_

Ginny and Mrs. Weasley ran for the door.

Hermione was scowling and soundly scolding Fred who was sprawled on the ground, nursing his precious Cleansweep Five broomstick. George was doubled over in laughter a couple feet away.

"What's going on here?" Mrs. Weasley's stern look silenced them.

Hermione frowned. "Fred's broomstick was on the ground right outside the door! Maybe if he wasn't so careless we might actually be able to get through a supper without mayhem!" she explained.

Mrs. Weasley's face turned bright red. Her resemblance to a howler was remarkable. "FRED! KITCHEN! NOW!!!"

Broom still in hand, Fred marched mock-military style behind Mrs. Weasley and out of sight, George tagging along close behind.

Huffing in anger, Hermione trudged over to Ginny. She turned a glare towards the kitchen and heard Mrs. Weasley's piercing scream.

"...DISHES! NO MAGIC! THE REST OF YOUR MISERABLE LIFE!" Upon hearing Fred's protests, Mrs. Weasley increased dramatically in volume. "SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT THAT BEFORE YOU LEFT THAT RUDDY BROOM IN THE WAY!"

Hermione pulled Ginny away from the door, both girls trying not to collapse from laughter.

Dinner turned out to be an extremely enjoyable affair for the girls. Everyone had heard about Fred's punishment and was trying extra hard to make their plates as dirty as possible. Fred, however, didn't seem disturbed in the least by the group's activities. In fact, he and George both looked rather excited.

_Surely not from dishes,_ Ginny thought. She took a big swig of her pumpkin juice to clear her thoughts. The flavor seemed a little distorted. Glancing down into her cup, Ginny noticed a tiny drop of bubbling, violet liquid dribbling down the side.

"Oh, bloody hell," she whispered to herself, "What have I gotten myself into this time?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Fred and George looked at Ginny with evil grins. Ginny gulped at the dry aftertaste left in her mouth.

"Guess they weren't as scared as I thought," she whispered to Hermione, tilting the flask towards her.

Hermione's eyes widened in alarm. "I...uh...feel ill," she excused herself from the table. "Come along, Ginny!" She pulled a white-faced Ginny from her chair and dragged her bodily to her room, barricading her there. Hermione spun herself around. "Ginny! What happened?"

Ginny's grip on the edge of the bed was white. "I drank their potion," she muttered in horror, "Who knows what will happen to me."

Hermione had buried her head in book to try to find some form of aid so when she looked up she nearly fell over in surprise. The book thudded to the ground. "Ginny?!" she asked hesitantly, "Is that you?"

Ginny cast Hermione a weird look. "What are you talking about, Hermione? Of course, it's me!"

Speechless, Hermione pointed at the mirror on the wall. Ginny stood up with a frown, mentally bracing herself for whatever gruesome image the potion had cursed upon her.

Ginny stepped before the mirror and gasped. Long waves of hair much deeper red cascaded down her back. Piercing onyx eyes peered beneath the feathery layers of bangs draped to the side. Her face looked different, more refined. Was that make-up on her face? One swipe of her hand down her face proved not. Ginny wrapped her arms around herself to discover that she was much curvier than she used to be.

Ginny turned desperately to Hermione. "What's going on?" Ginny's pleading went right to Hermione's heart.

Hermione's eyes hardened. "I say it's time to face the twins."

She allowed Ginny a moment for composure before parading her back downstairs where everyone was still having dinner.

The two girls strode out and stood expectantly before the table. Hermione's glare was fixated upon Fred and George. Ginny shifted her weight uncomfortably from foot to foot. George was first to notice their appearance. His eyes widened, and he choked on his food. He frantically began slapping Fred to get his attention while gulping rapidly to clear his throat. Fred finally caught a sight of the girls and dropped his fork with a clang. Both sets of the twins' eyes locked upon their sister.

Ron's jaw dropped several inches. "Wow, Hermione. Who's your friend?" He asked while checking his hair with his hands.

Hermione erupted in a fit of giggles. Ginny was repulsed. "Why, Ron!" Hermione said, "Don't you recognize your own sister?"

Ron flipped over backward in his seat from horror at the realization. Fred and George rocked back in forth in their chairs, adding their laughter to Hermione's.

Fred stood and held out his hands as if to calm applause, although everyone else at the table just seemed confused. "Ladies and gentlemen, May I introduce...the future Miss Ginny Weasley!" he announced, followed by his roar of laughter.

Harry tilted his head, the concept slowly dawning on him. Ron was voicing his outrage very loudly. However, his reaction was nothing compared to Mrs. Weasley's.

"FRED AND GEORGE WEASLEY!" Mrs. Weasley fumed, face once again red as a steamed lobster.

Mr. Weasley sat stiffly beside her. He soothingly patted her shoulder although his expression was hard as stone.

"What have you done?" Mr. Weasley's sternly addressed the twins.

"Just a little experiment," George said, holding his hands up defensively.

"You see," Fred continued, "We found a way to make a stable 'permanent' aging potion. This is _actually _what dear Ginny will look like when she's...oh, say seventeen."

Ginny's gaze lowered in embarrassment from all the eyes on her. "How do I change back?" she muttered shyly.

Fred and George exchanged glances. "Well, that's the thing," George said, "We don't exactly _have_ the reversal potion. We're not even sure of Ginny's exact age. But we're sure we'll figure it out in a couple of months."

It was Hermione's turn to gape. "A couple of months! School starts tomorrow! What is she supposed to do! Be the only _approximately_ seventeen-year-old in her third year?!"

"She could join the seventh years just for this year," Harry suggested.

"As who? Ginny Weasley's thirteen-years-old! As if school isn't difficult enough!" Hermione refuted.

Ginny's dark eyes narrowed and fly-away strands of her lovely auburn hair floated dramatically over her face, adding to her intensity. "I could handle it!" The shy, sullen girl from just moments before had transformed into a fireball.

"Ginny, dear, calm down," Mrs. Weasley said firmly. An idea had worked its way into her mind and she would not be denied. "This is what we're going to do. Ginny will be exchanging schools with her seventh year cousin Cedrella from Beaxbatons Academy."

"But, Mum!" one of the twins piped up, "We don't have a cousin Cedrella!"

"We do now. Come along, Ella dear." Mrs. Weasley ushered Ginny into the house, leaving the rest of the party at their places in shock. "We've got some last minute packing to do! I'll send off a letter to Dumbledore tonight."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Ginny gazed expectantly out the window of her compartment on the Hogwarts Express. Even with the recent turn of events she was happier than ever to be returning to Hogwarts.

Harry was sitting next to her, nervously flipping through Chocolate Frog cards while across from them both Ron and Hermione were arguing Hermione's favorite topic.

"If you double check your homework now, then the good grades you get at the beginning of term will negate the bad ones you will most certainly get when you start slacking off," Hermione lectured.

"But, Hermione!" Ron protested, "It's still technically summer!"

"And as soon as classes start you will be spouting off every excuse there is for not doing your homework," she replied.

"Then how bout you help us out and check it over for us?" Ron gestured to himself and Harry.

Ginny's laugh was like the tinkling of Christmas bells. "Blimey, Ron, Harry and I had Hermione check over our stuff AGES ago! Saved us lots of points too, I'm sure."

"B-b-but…Hermione!" Ron sputtered.

"What?" Hermione said, a smug grin plastered on her face, "All you had to do was ask."

"But Ginny doesn't even have to turn hers in this term, being a '7th year exchange student' or whatever!"

"Oh, Ron," Hermione signed, glancing at Ginny.

Ginny sank into her seat, pressing her head against the cool window.

Harry leaned in, the closeness of his emerald eyes startling her. "Everything will be okay," he said.

"But what if I'm stuck like this forever?" Tears glistened in Ginny's eyes, intensifying the contrast of her dark pupils against the sparkling whites.

Harry fought to catch his breath. The compartment door slid open with a thud, revealing three laughing figures.

"Hiya, Harry!" Oliver Wood stepped through the door followed by Angelina Johnson and Katie Bell.

"Hi, Oliver." Harry didn't look too happy about the interruption.

Ginny quickly wiped her eyes on her sleeve. When she regained her composure she turned to face their guests, but Oliver had already started off onto Quidditch talk, ranting at a pace of about a thousand kilometers per second.

"So as I was saying to Katie and Angelina, we really need to crack down hard if we want to win the Quidditch cup this year. Slytherin's still riding Nimbus Two Thousand and Ones so they have the jump on us with brooms, but if there's anything I'm sure of it's the superior skill of the Gryffindor team outmatching those slimy snakes. Especially with that weasel Malfoy as their seeker. I have information from a reliable source that Malfoy has a few new tricks up his sleeve, all of them dirty of course…"

"I wouldn't exactly call Lee Jordan a reliable source, Oliver. He might be the teensy-tiniest bit prejudiced." Fred and George appeared in the doorway, throwing their arms over Angelina and Katie's shoulders

"Yeah," the other twin said, "like he'd throw any Slytherin off a cliff first chance he got!"

"Oh stop it, George!" Angelina said, playfully punching him in the arm.

"Ow! Hey, what if I'm Fred?" Angelina shot him a no-nonsense glare. "Alright, I'm George."

"So I take it you all have had the pleasure of meeting our visiting cousin Cedrella?" Fred asked, waltzing with George over to where Ginny had been hiding – comfortably unnoticed – behind Harry and sandwiching her between them.

Oliver noticed her for the first time, falling uncharacteristically silent. When he finally found his voice, the only words he could manage to choke out were: "Oliver, Oliver Wood," as he offered her his hand.

Ginny blushed deeply. "Pleased to meet you, Oliver, Oliver Wood." She grasped his hand firmly. "Ella Weasley."

"Where are you from, Ella?" he asked.

"Until this year I attended Beauxbatons Academy, but I had some family troubles and had to come and stay with my…cousins…for awhile." Ginny shoved Fred and George away from her. "But anyway!" she said, attempting to change the subject from a personal life that she didn't know, "It seems to me that you think a couple Nimbus Two Thousand and Ones are all around better than, say, the Cleansweep Sevens or Elevens that I'm sure most of your team are riding. But it seems to me that you may be overlooking the tight maneuverability and performance of those older and less flashy broomsticks."

Fred and George rolled their eyes at the beginning of a familiar debate unfolding, but Oliver's jaw unhinged. "What makes you think I'm overlooking anything? In a game of Quidditch, it is a proven fact that the Nimbus series broomsticks have the best maneuverability as well as necessary speed."

"Maybe in a professional game!"

"Alright," Fred said, "That sounds like our cue."

"Who wants to see Lee Jordan's new pet!" George exclaimed, "He says it's something like a tarantula and a dragon mixed by some spell gone horribly wrong…" He and Fred herded the five extremely reluctant others out of the compartment, leaving Ginny and Oliver to debate the pros and cons of different broomsticks.

Finally, metal brakes screeched.

"I concede!" Oliver laughed, "But only because I'd better go and change into my robes or risk being late for the banquet. However, I demand the chance to continue this conversation later."

"Oh, I'm sure we could work something out." Ginny smiled her dazzling, seventh-year smile as Oliver brought her hand to his lips before rushing from the compartment. She almost forgot that she had to change into her robes before the train stopped at Hogwarts, too. All of her previous nervousness had vanished like magic, transformed into thoughts of a certain Gryffindor Quidditch captain.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Floating candles shone against the dark night sky in the Great Hall. Familiar faces sat at every table, but the look on their faces was anything but familiar. Eyes followed her everywhere: boys interested in her and girls jealous by their boyfriends' and crushes' interest in her.

_If only they knew_, Ginny thought with a smirk.

She walked towards where her old friends sat at Gryffindor table then froze. Her friends wore the same awed and unknowing looks as everyone else in the room.

"Oi, Cedrella!" a voice called out.

Ginny turned to see Oliver Wood waving her over. She smiled and nodded.

"Looking for that rematch already?" she asked.

"Not right now," he replied, "I thought you might like to meet some other seventh years. This is Rose, Celeste, and Jonathan." He gestured to the girl to his left and the boy and girl across the table from him.

"I didn't realize you had friends outside of the Quidditch team." Ginny feigned surprise.

Oliver laughed a hearty laugh. She realized she really liked his smile – so honest and sincere.

"Well, these are more of acquaintances," he joked, "Besides! These three are born and bred Quidditch enthusiasts."

"We'd have to be to hang out with you!" Celeste piped up.

"Truth!" Oliver exclaimed, "Now let us turn to our feast. And put your thinking caps on as Cedrella and I resume our discussion." He winked at her.

"Oh, give it a rest," Jonathan pleaded, "Oliver has obviously met his match in wit – let's see her in action!"

"I'll give you ten minutes," Oliver boasted, "I'll wager you won't get a single shot past me!"

"After supper. The pitch. You're on!"

"Where'd you learn how to fly like that?" Ginny had managed to score on Oliver no less than ten times in the ten minute allotment. "I think the Quaffle's exhausted from flying by me so many times!" He laughed.

"Well when you grow up with Fred and George, some pretty fancy flying is essential to survival."

Oliver's smile faded a little. "But didn't you grow up in France? I thought I remembered you came here from Beauxbatons…"

"Oh, I did…" Ginny dragged the words out, thinking as fast as she could. "…But I spent many summers at the Burrow with my cousins," she finally finished.

The easy smile was back. "You know, I've got an opening on the team, and we could really use you this season." You could always count on Oliver to bring a conversation back to Quidditch.

"You think you can handle all this mad skill?" Ginny spun around to give him time to bask in her greatness.

"Oh, I think I can manage. Looks like Jonathan, Celeste, and Rose bailed when they saw how amazing you are on that broomstick. They had the right idea; it's getting pretty dark. We better head up to the tower."

"Race you!" Ginny sprinted towards the castle, laughing the whole way.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Harry was the last person in the Gryffindor common room. Everyone else had gone to bed complaining of fatigue from the day's travel. But Harry couldn't sleep. Just then, the portrait of the Fat Lady swung open. Ginny and Oliver scrambled over each other, each trying to be the first to set foot in the common room.

"No contest! I won!" Ginny declared between fits of giggles and trying to catch her breath.

"I'd call that a tie," Oliver wheezed. He, too, was laughing so hard that he couldn't breathe.

"Oh!" Ginny exclaimed, finally discovering their audience. "Harry! What're you doing there?"

"I…uh…just going to bed," Harry stammered.

"Don't leave on our account," Oliver replied.

"Mm…getting late…"Harry said, glancing awkwardly between Oliver and Ginny.

"We should all really be getting some sleep," Ginny said, "Classes start tomorrow, after all."

They exchanged good nights and went their separate ways. That night, Ginny dreamed that Harry saved her from a dragon and she flew off into the sunset with Oliver. In the morning she forgot that she had dreamt at all.

Classes were all review so Ginny wasn't far behind everyone else who was trying to relearn the material. In Defense Against the Dark Arts, Oliver glanced over while Ginny was worrying over all the material that was new for her. He scribbled furiously on a spare piece of parchment then laid it on the desk in front of her.

Will you study with me later? she read.

If you think you need the help, she wrote back. He just smiled.

Oliver stayed by her side when the bell rang. "What's next on your schedule?" he asked her.

"Ugh, double potions after lunch."

"You don't like potions?"

Ginny looked stunned for a moment. "Actually, potions fascinate me. It's Snape I don't like. I mean," she said quickly, seeing the confused look on Oliver's face, "I've heard he's perfectly dreadful."

Oliver wrapped his arm around Ginny's shoulders and her stomach filled with butterflies. "Relax," he said, "You look too beautiful to be related to Fred and George so I'm sure he won't hold them against you. Besides, that's also where I'm headed!"

Ginny's chest began to ache and she wondered if her heart would ever work properly around him. Every time Oliver touched or looked at her, her heart skipped a beat. Unluckily for her heart, Ginny's and Oliver's classes matched almost exactly. Every other Friday, Ginny had Muggle Studies while Oliver had Arithmancy ("Me mum wanted me to take it," he shrugged). But otherwise, the two became inseparable. If they weren't in class together, studying together for their N.E.W.T.'s, or eating together, then they had their heads together discussing new Quidditch plays or the pros and cons of speed versus agility. And sometimes they could be found taking long walks around the grounds of Hogwarts, talking and laughing.

Hermione finally cornered Ginny on night as she was coming out of the girls' dormitory. "Where have you been recently? I feel like I haven't seen you in ages," Hermione said.

"Oliver and I have been busy with projects and such," Ginny said, attempting nonchalance.

"Oh, Ginny! –I mean, Ella!" Hermione winked. "You really like him, don't you?"

"Hermione! No! It's not like that! –Well, I mean, he is easy to talk to -" Ginny smiled, thinking about all their long conversations.

"Miss Ginny Weasley! What a heartbreaker you are."

Ginny's smile faded. "What do you mean?"

"What do you think is going to happen when that spell wears off or we find the antidote or 'Cedrella' has to go back to Beauxbatons?"

"I guess I never really thought about it."

"What about the fact that the boy you are falling in love with doesn't know the real you?"

"I've only ever been myself around him!" Ginny replied hotly.

"Your spunky and timid thirteen-year-old self or your beautiful and fiery seventeen-year-old self?" Hermione said.

"I don't think I've changed that much," Ginny muttered.

"What happened to all your friends, Ginny? Cedrella only really has one, and how's he going to feel when he finds out he's been lied to all this time?" Hermione turned and walked back to the Gryffindor common room, leaving Ginny with her thoughts.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Ginny didn't show up at breakfast the next morning, and she was nearly fifteen minutes late for Transfiguration.

"Nice of you to join us, Miss Weasley," Professor McGonagall noted as she walked in. "I don't know how things are done at Beauxbatons, but here at Hogwarts, tardiness is unacceptable. Five points from Gryffindor."

"Yes, Professor," Ginny said, sliding into the chair next to Oliver. He glanced at her, and then furiously scribbled something on the corner of his notes

_Where were you at breakfast?_ Ginny read.

_Can I talk to you after class? We have a break today before lunch … meet me in the common room, _she scribbled back. Oliver nodded and turned his attention back to the transfiguration lesson.

Ginny threw her books into her bag and dashed out of the room as soon as the bell rang. Instead of heading toward the Gryffindor common room, she turned at the stairs heading up to the Owlery. She needed to clear her head before she spoke with Oliver.

Ginny froze near the top of the steps. She heard a single voice coming from the Owlery. She turned as if to give the person privacy, but then she heard the words and recognized their owner. _"She's just so beautiful, Hedwig, and she barely knows I'm alive."_ Ginny climbed the final steps into the Owlery.

"Hiya, Harry," she said as he came into view.

Feathers flew everywhere as a startled Harry Potter disrupted several sleeping owls. Hedwig flew up above Harry's head and was hooting urgently. Ginny covered her mouth to stifle a giggle. Harry was covered in different kinds of feathers. He looked as though a Hippogriff had molted all over him. Harry nervously brushed feathers off his arm.

"Oh, here. Let me help." Ginny brushed feathers out of Harry's hair and off his back, laughing good-naturedly.

Harry tried to force a laugh, but it came out sounding as nervous as he felt. Especially when he turned around and gazed into Ginny's gorgeous eyes. He tried to speak but no words would form.

Ginny broke the silence. "I, er, couldn't help overhearing just now … I know it's really not my business, but I think Cho is really starting to warm up to you, Harry." She gazed earnestly at a momentarily stunned Harry. "That is who you were talking about, wasn't it?"

"Wha-what? I mean, sure, yeah," Harry mumbled. Ginny raised her eyebrows. "But anyway," Harry said, "How's everything going with Wood?" He tried to sound friendly, but his voice came out unnecessarily sharp.

"That's kinda why I'm here," Ginny confessed, biting her lip. "We've gotten really close, and I'm afraid what he'll think when he finds out who I really am."

"Well, he's gonna find out sooner or later, right?" Harry said, trying hard to be helpful. "He should, er, probably hear it from you first … don't you think?"

Ginny flashed him a dazzling smile. "Thanks, Harry. I'm actually on my way to see him now." She headed for the stairs. "Good luck with Cho!" she called over her shoulder.

"Thanks," Harry muttered miserably. Hedwig hooted her reassurance from the rafters.

When Ginny crawled through the portrait hole into the Gryffindor common room, she was relieved to see Oliver alone. The other Gryffindors must've been taking advantage of the brilliant weather out on the grounds. Oliver turns as he hears her entering and smiles. Ginny swallows a lump in her throat.

"Oliver, we need to talk."

His smile disappears. "What's this about, Ella?" What's going on?"

"There's just something you need to know … something I've been keeping from you …"

He closes the distance between them and takes her hands in his. "Then tell me. I want to know everything about you. Ella … I think I —"

Ginny cuts him off before he can finish the thought. Slowly and awkwardly at first, she reveals her story to him, from the twins' little trick and her transformation to the decision to come to Hogwarts as a 7th year with Dumbledore's approval.

At some point during her story, he released her hands and took a couple steps back. "It all makes sense now," he said once she had finished. "How you knew your way to the common room from the pitch almost better than I did. Why you needed the extra help catching up on spells most 7th years mastered ages ago." He raised a hand to his head, as if the information was finally seeping in. "So you're _Ginny_ Weasley? Fred and George's baby sister? Is there even a cousin Cedrella who goes to Beauxbatons?"

"We made her up. The Weasley family is so large that no one would give it a second thought." Ginny's eyes were pleading with him to understand.

"But … but … you _lied_ to me! Everything I thought I knew about you … everything we had … it's all been one big lie after the next! I don't even know who you really are, El — I mean, _Ginny_. I … I need to be alone right now." He storms out the portrait hole and away from Gryffindor tower without so much as a backward glance.

Ginny stood frozen, watching him go.


End file.
